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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.